The man standing at the podium in a suit and tie, speaking with eloquence and decision was not the same man that came back from three tours of Iraq in 2006; as Marine Jeremy Williams detailed for a small crowd gathered at Joseph Chris Partners in King’s Harbor.

“All of us have different levels of recovery; whether it’s psychologically or physically, there is a different cycle of acclimation,” Williams said. “My transition was very difficult.”

Williams was one of four speakers at a conference raising support for the Wounded Warriors Project - a nonprofit organization that assists post-Sept. 11 injured combat veterans and their families with recovery processes.

“I had the honor of serving my country on three tours of combat in Iraq,” Williams said. “I was there for the invasion of Iraq and the battle of Fallujah. I was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in May 12, 2006.

“I manned a machine gun. I carried a sidearm. I engaged the enemy, effectively. It’s not pretty. It’s not fun. But it’s highly addictive.

“I was addicted to a substance which you can only experience in the most heightened levels of arousal. Adrenaline. And it got me jacked. I loved the rush associated with feeling adrenaline.”

But, when Williams got back to the United States and tried to transition from being a warrior to a civilian, that addiction of adrenaline remained and ultimately, cost him dearly.

“I lost a wife to divorce,” Williams said. “I lost a strong relationship with my children because I could not cope. I lacked the coping mechanism necessary to effectively recover from my addiction (to adrenaline).”

During his transition, Williams found Wounded Warrior Project.

“As I transitioned back into the civilian world and go to school and immerse myself as a student, I found that there are organizations out there that could help facilitate my recovery and transition,” Williams said. “Wounded Warrior Project gave me the opportunity to meet my fellow brothers in their recovery and to speak to them at a level they could understand from an individual that had experienced the same kind of loss, the same levels of success, the same levels of transition.”

Soon, Williams channeled his adrenaline need into something he was good at: fighting for his country. Only this time, it was in sport, not a foxhole.

“I love war,” Williams said. “It’s what I’m good at. So why not continue that passion by engaging in a contact sport? So I fought on the U.S. Judo team in the world championship two years ago. I fought the Russian champ. It was war between two old Cold War enemies and it felt great. I put on the colors of my country and went into battle again and my enemy feared me.”

Now, Williams acts as an advocate for veterans struggling to assimilate into civilian life, acting as a development coordinator for the United States Veterans Initiative, which helps transition veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support.

“One in seven homeless in Houston is a veteran,” Williams said. “Of those, five percent are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, sitting in the cold tonight without shelter, without a bed or without resources.

“Now I stand in a suit, being able to articulate my feelings, but there’s a Marine right now leaving Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, who is going to get on a plane, and in 24 hours, be home at his base in California. Two hours later, he’s going to be laying in bed wondering where the last two weeks went and then the rest of his life will start and he will go through a recovery process.”